Should Fantasy Baseball Managers Panic About Juan Soto?

After signing a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets, Juan Soto has failed to live up to expectations. Should fantasy baseball managers sell him at a discount or will he rebound from his horrendous start?

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after a walk against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are facing what might be their most challenging stretch of the season. The offense has hit a serious lull, scoring three runs or fewer in six straight games. After dropping a series to the Yankees and losing the opener at Fenway Park to the Red Sox, the Mets have stumbled to a 2–4 record over that span.

Amid the slump, all eyes are on Juan Soto, who signed a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million deal but has yet to live up to the billing. His slash line — .246/.376/.463 with eight homers and 20 RBIs — is underwhelming, but perhaps more concerning is his lack of urgency and visible disengagement that’s raising red flags. Those concerns came to a head in the Yankees series finale, where Soto failed to sprint after a fly ball that bounced for a ground-rule double and again when he jogged out of the box on a potential infield single in a 2-2 game in the eighth inning.

The pattern continued at Fenway, where Soto crushed a ball to left that he clearly thought would leave the yard. It didn’t. What should have been an easy double turned into a long single as he casually left the batter’s box. When asked postgame about the effort concerns, Soto offered a head-scratching response: “I think I've been hustling pretty hard.”

Juan Soto was asked about not hustling out of the box last night vs. the Yankees and tonight vs. the Red Sox

"I think I've been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell" pic.twitter.com/vOmQivgtZR

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2025

That answer may sting just as much as the recent losses.

Soto has now gone 10 straight games without a multi-hit performance, and the power that once made him a fantasy baseball cornerstone has been noticeably absent. Last season, the superstar outfielder slashed .288 with 128 runs, 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and seven steals over 576 at-bats — elite production by any standard. This year? He’s well off that pace, and unless something changes soon, fantasy managers may be left wondering what happened to the $765 million man.

Before the season began, Senior Fantasy Baseball Expert Shawn Childs offered a measured yet optimistic take on Soto’s outlook:

“Soto ranked sixth in FPGscore (8.95) for hitters in 2024, nine spots higher than 2023 (5.98). He trails the elite batters in baseball by a wide margin in stolen base, forcing him to post a .320 batting to overcome this shortfall. The Mets have on-base talent at the top of their lineup, suggesting he’ll bat third this season. It was important that Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets for lineup protection and improving results in runs. Based on his propensity to take walks, Soto may never have 600 at-bats in a season, costing him chances at more home runs. I respect his potential in runs, home runs, and RBIs while understanding that he’s just reaching the prime of his career. Soto must be more opportunistic on the base paths or rank highly in batting average to post difference-maker stats.”

So far, that upside has yet to materialize — and understandably, panic is setting in for both Mets fans and fantasy owners. But should you hit the trade button and sell low? Not so fast.

While it’s fair to temper expectations, moving Soto at a discount would be premature. His underlying skill set hasn’t vanished, and with a critical stretch ahead that includes two series’ against the Dodgers, this is exactly the kind of stage where stars often shine. A breakout feels inevitable — and savvy managers will want to be holding shares when it happens.